And finally it’s here, arguably the most anticipated mobile phone launch of the year – Samsung Galaxy S4 is now officially available in Malaysia at all major telcos. I was there at the launch last Saturday to catch a glimpse of the gadget at Celcom Blue Cube, Sunway Pyramid and the Samsung store at Lowyat Plaza.

great fan fare at Samsung Galaxy S4 launch, Sunway Pyramid
great fanfare at Samsung Galaxy S4 launch, Sunway Pyramid

The launch was a huge fanfare, there were clowns, jokers, jesters, people in stilts, drummers, dancers, magicians, singers, and there were balloons, ice creams, music, and everything that you could imagine. I’ve never seen Sunway Pyramid so alive especially at 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday.

There were a huge line of people queuing up to be the first Galaxy S4 customers. Celcom’s plan for the new phone was as low as RM 1,338 and  there’s a “Spin the wheel” game to reduce another RM 200 to RM 750. What a deal.

I sneaked into Blue Cube to get my hands on the S4 before everyone else
I sneaked into Blue Cube to get my hands on the S4 before everyone else

Having worn a blue shirt and holding a camera has its upsides, we were allowed to get into the shop to play with Galaxy S4 before everyone else has the chance.

At the first impression, I thought the phone was bigger, but holding it up confirmed that while the 5″ Full-HD display is indeed larger, the overall phone dimension remains to be about the same as it’s older sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S3. Pixel density is much higher and I must say that the Super AMOLED display is indeed gorgeous.

color me fancy? with Lydia, Nana, and Ashley
color me fancy, multicolor S4 backs? with Lydia, Nana, and Ashley

I expected that with the Exynos 5 Octa (Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7), the phone should be very fast, and it certainly did not disappoint on that front. Swipe, pinch, zoom, and operating pretty much any application I tried without any visible lag.

While processing power is great, it also comes with a bigger 2600 mAh battery to keep the juice flowing as well.

the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, now available at major telcos in Malaysia
the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, now available at major telcos in Malaysia

I hoped to try the S Translator but it was perhaps a bit too noisy at the event, and with the phone yet to set up with 3G etc, so we didn’t get to try that. The Air View/Air Gesture seems to work well, though I should have brought my riding gloves with to fully test its effectiveness.

Redmummy & Moudini the Magician, Nazwan of beautifulnara
Redmummy & Moudini the Magician, Nazwan of beautifulnara

One of the fun features that comes with Galaxy S4 is the ability to use both the front and rear cameras at the same time. I thought that’s a gimmick at first, but after testing it I find myself really liking the way it is implemented.

Basically when you take picture of a place/scene, you can simultaneously snap a photo of yourself encased at a corner like a “stamp”. I think it gives the photo a sort of post-card feel and is great for documenting your travel. Less of those awkward “selfies” if you ask me.

Hope to get my hands on the phone for a more extensive review soon. In the mean time, Samsung Galaxy S4 is available now at RM 2,199. Do check out  www.samsung.com/my for more.

Samsung Galaxy S4, Officially Launched in Malaysia
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3 thoughts on “Samsung Galaxy S4, Officially Launched in Malaysia

  • May 7, 2013 at 11:41 am
    Permalink

    i is first to comment
    how come i is first, i dunno
    nobody like Samsung meh? i guarantee this Samsung not like the washing machine wan, ah, its very good
    i dont like Apple
    i dont like iPhone
    iGo now

    Reply
    • May 7, 2013 at 2:18 pm
      Permalink

      immature: election fever I guess 😀

      Reply
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